Gambhir Worried as India ODI Batting Collapse Continues
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted concern over the India ODI batting collapse after New Zealand bowled India out for 89 in the fourth one-day international at Mount Maunganui on Friday, a 244-run defeat that was India’s second-heaviest in ODI cricket.
Set 334 to win, India’s strong batting line-up folded in 26.4 overs at the Bay Oval. It was the second failure in as many games. Geo Super reported his remarks from the post-match press conference.
The India ODI batting collapse in numbers
New Zealand had made 333 all out in 50 overs after India won the toss and chose to field. Will Young scored 125 and Tim Seifert 58, while Axar Patel took 2 for 39 and Auqib Nabi 2 for 59.
The chase fell apart in the first over, when Matt Henry removed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer for ducks in a triple-wicket maiden. Henry finished with career-best figures of 6 for 27, and Matthew Fisher took 3 for 31.
Ishan Kishan top-scored with 27, while Naman Dhir and Axar Patel made 21 each. India were bowled out for 89, their sixth-lowest ODI total. Only the 245-run defeat to Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000 was heavier.
India had led the five-match series 2-0, with the third match abandoned due to rain. The defeat cut the lead to 2-1, and New Zealand can still avoid a series defeat by winning the final match at the same venue on Sunday.
What Gambhir said
Gambhir refused to brush the defeat aside. “There’s no benefit to sweeping it under the carpet,” he said in his post-match press conference on Friday night.
“It isn’t just this match. Even in the previous match, we were seven down for 111 or 112. Today we lost, so we are talking about it.”
He pointed to the difference in conditions. “You aren’t going to score 70-80 in the first 10 overs [in ODIs in these conditions]. If you’re 35-40 for no loss, that is also good enough. In India, the easiest time for batting is the first 10-15 overs. Here it’s probably the hardest time.”
A concern before the World Cup
Gambhir admitted the collapses raised concerns before next year’s World Cup, because conditions in New Zealand could be close to those expected in Southern Africa.
“You are always concerned when you get bundled out for 90-odd, why won’t I be concerned?” he said. “I think I will be concerned because obviously these are conditions which are going to be closest to what we might get during the World Cup.”
He said the bigger concern was how quickly India were bowled out. “So, obviously, I would be concerned because not only in this game, but even in the previous game, we were 7 down for 111-112, so for me I think the bigger concern [from Friday’s game] is not the runs, it’s how quickly we got bundled out, I think in around 26 or 27 overs, so hopefully we can try and rectify that as soon as possible.”
The second collapse came in the rain-hit second ODI, when India were reduced to 111 for 7 chasing 135. Two failures in two games, both while chasing, have become a pattern the coach cannot ignore.
India still lead the series, and the final ODI on Sunday gives them a chance to answer. But the World Cup is less than a year away, and conditions in Southern Africa are expected to offer bowlers the same help Henry exploited in Mount Maunganui. For a line-up built around Kohli and Rohit, that is a worry Gambhir was honest enough to name.
Pakistan’s cricketers have had a mixed week at home. Pakistan and Sri Lanka drew the first Test in Rawalpindi after bad weather washed out play, and Babar Azam is open to a pink-ball Test after the rain-hit draw. Afghanistan’s Maroofkhil took four wickets on debut against Zimbabwe, while Hassan Ali has signed a two-year deal with Yorkshire. Pakistan’s women beat Thailand by 24 runs in the Emerging Nations Trophy.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in the fourth ODI?
New Zealand made 333 and bowled India out for 89 to win by 244 runs at the Bay Oval.
Who starred for New Zealand?
Matt Henry took 6 for 27, including three wickets in the first over. Will Young scored 125.
What did Gambhir say?
He said there was no benefit in sweeping the failure under the carpet, and called the collapses a concern.
What is the series score?
India lead 2-1, after the third match was abandoned due to rain.
When is the final ODI?
The fifth ODI will be played at the same venue in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
